The Goodman High Throughput Spectrograph (GTHS) was built in the Goodman Laboratory at the University of North Carolina [4]under the leadership of Prof. J. Christopher Clemens. It is an imaging spectrograph, capable of producing excellent image quality across a 7.2 arcmin diameter FOV (with a 0.15 arcsec/pixel scale), and spectra at various resolutions from the atmospheric UV cutoff all the way out to 850nm. It employs all transmissive optics, and Volume Phase Holographic (VPH) Gratings to achieve the highest possible throughput for low resolution spectroscopy over the 320-850 nm wavelength range. The paper describing the instrument is Clemens et al. (2004)[5]

The Blue Camera[17] is recommended for programs requiring the highest possible throughput[19] blueward of ~4500 A, down to the atmospheric UV cutoff. Also, programs attempting fast time-series photometry should use the Blue Camera[17], since at present it has more flexible choice of Regions of Interest (ROI).

For all other programs, the Red Camera[18] provides roughly equal response as the Blue Camera[17] around ~4500 A and is better at redder wavelengths, with almost no fringing out to 9500 A.

Imaging: circular 7.2 arcmin diameter field.

SDSS, Bessell and Narrow-band filters (4x4 inch square). Up to 4 filters for imaging. The full list of available filters can be accessed in the SOAR filter list page.[20]

Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (ADC) available. The SOAR ADC is capable of full correction down to elevations of 30 deg above the horizon. Below that, and down to the 15 deg elevation limit of the telescope, the correction will be only partial; however, we recommend avoinding targets at elevations lower than 20 deg. The ADC is most useful for MOS observations, or when the program does not allow orienting the slit at the paralactic angle.

Goodman Red Camera

The SOAR Goodman Spectrograph Red Camera is equipped with a 4096 x 4112 pixel, back-illuminated, deep-depletion, astro-multi-2 coating, e2v 231-84 CCD. The CCD is read out through 1 amplifier using a Spectral Instruments[24] controller. This CCD has excellent cosmetics. Figure 1 shows a bias frame obtained in Spectroscopic 1x1 ROI mode and with the 344ATTN3 readout (Gain=1.48 e-/ADU, Readout Noise=3.89 e-). Figures 2 and 3 show a dome quartz lamp flat for the 400 l/mm grating in the 400M2 setup (505-905 nm). Note the almost complete lack of fringing at the red end of the image, compared to the Blue Camera CCD[17] (Figure 4).

Goodman Blue Camera

The SOAR Goodman Spectrograph Blue Camera features one 4096 x 4096 pixel Fairchild CCD. The CCD is read out through 1 amplifier using a Spectral Instruments[24] controller. This CCD has only minor flaws which has little impact on its scientific performance. Figure 1 shows the combination of 20 bias frames taken with the 200ATTN0 readout mode (Readout Noise= 4.74 e-, Gain=1.4 e-/ADU), with the Spectroscopic 1x1 ROI.

Figure 2 below shows an internal quartz lamp flat for the 400 l/mm grating in the 400M2 setup (505-905 nm). Note the fringing pattern at the red end of the image.

Figure 2: An internal quartz lamp flat of the 400l/mm grating in the 400M2 setup, taken with a Multi-Object Slit (MOS) Mask, The upper two and lower srtpes correspond to the square boxes for the alignment stars. The middle stripes are the quartz flats produced with the four science target slits.

Figure 3 shows the QE of the Goodman Blue Camera CCD.

Figure 3: The QE curve of the Goodman CCD.

Below we provide the general characteristics of the Blue Camera detector and the available readout modes:

The default image size for imaging mode (1x1 binning) is 3096 x 3096 pixels and the default image size for spectroscopic mode is 4142 x 1896 pixels with 1x1 binning. These values were used calculate the read out times given above using one amplifier readout. Users should also expect 1 or 2 seconds of overhead on every exposure.

Throughput:
The imaging mode throughput of the GOODMAN BLUE CAMERA has been measured relative to the SOAR Optical Imager (SOI) for which we have good zero-points. As the table below shows, the throughput relative to SOI is better in the R, comparable in the V and lower in the B and U.
In the Goodman Throughput Information[19] page we show the measured the spectroscopic throughput of the Goodman BLUE CAMERA, obtained by taking spectra of spectrophotometric standards with the most commonly used preset setups. These curves show the overall system efficiency for the telescope+instrument+detector combination, with and without the Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (ADC), commissioned in late 2014. That is, they show the fraction of photons striking the primary mirror of SOAR which are eventually detected by the CCD. The measurements were made using a very wide (~10 arcsec slit); slit losses will reduce the efficiency obtained when using a narrower slit by an amount which depends on the seeing. The measurements are corrected for atmospheric extinction; the efficiency obtained in an actual observation will be reduced by the atmospheric extinction for the airmass of observation.

Goodman Spectrograph Gratings

Updated Apr 2018.

Up to three (3) gratings can be installed in the spectrograph at a time, in a linear stage which allows the rapid interchange of gratings. Installing different gratings is a day time operation. No grating installations are done during the night.

New 600 and 1200 l/mm gratings were delivered to SOAR in April 2017. Based on tests at the telescope, we are offering the new gratings, with recommendations as follows:

600 line gratings: The existing 600 l/mm grating is renamed as 600old, and is recommended for all observations from the UV up through 650nm, with either the Blue or Red Cameras. For programs requiring spectra in the far red (e.g., around the Ca II triplet), we recommend using the new 600Red grating + Red Camera.

1200 line gratings: For observations in the UV use the 1200Blue grating + Blue Camera. Observations in the 450nm - 550nm range should use the 1200Blue grating, with either Blue or Red Cameras. For observations redward of ~600nm, use the 1200Red grating + Red Camera.

Configurations remain as listed in the table below.

Long Wavelength Limit for High Resolution Gratings
Because of limits in the camera rotation stage, it is not possible to use the 1800, 2100 and 2400 l/mm gratings beyond certain wavelength limits.

The table below shows the dispersion and the wavelength coverage for observations in our set spectroscopic modes. Please note that the 1800, 2100, and 2400 l/mm gratings are operated in Custom mode where the observer selects the central wavelength for their observations.

The VPH gratings operate via Bragg scattering and their efficient operation requires Littrow or near-Littrow operation of the spectrograph. A grating rotation stage sets the incident angle to the desired value, which depends upon the line density of the grating and the central wavelength of interest. A concentric camera rotation stage must then be set to nearly twice this angle to intercept the diffracted beam. A set of fixed observing modes for each grating are given below, where applicable. All gratings can be used in the Custom mode.

Goodman Long slits

The Goodman High Throughput Spectrograph (GHTS) has an assortment of long slits from which the user can choose, in addition to the possibility of creating custom Multi-Object Slit (MOS) masks.

The GHTS has a carrousel with 36 positions, of which 27 are available for longslits and/or Multi-Objects Masks (MOS). Each long slit is approximately 3.9 arcmin long.As of Aug 23, 2017, long slits which are always installed and available are the folllowing (all widths in arcsec; the unbinned pixel scale of the GHTS is 0.15 arcsec/pixel):

0.45", 0.6", 0.8", 0.95", 1.0", 1.2", 1.5", 1.9", 3.2", 4" and 10.2".

The following table provides the old names of some of the slits.

We have 16 remaining positions are available for MOS masks. Installing MOS masks is a daytime task, like changing filters, and should be requested beforehand in the Instrument Setup Form[28], or by email to the Support Astronomer with copy (cc) to soarops@ctio.noao.edu[29], so our Observer Support staff also receives the request.

Goodman Cheat Sheet

[31]

Goodman Spectrograph Overview

Goodman Overview
Rev. Apr 2017

At least read this!

Optics:
The Goodman optics are designed to transmit down to the atmospheric cutoff at 320 nm, and include lenses made of CaF2 and of NaCl. The latter are the center elements of fluid-coupled triplets. None of the multiplets are over 4" in diameter which reduced the difficulty compared to spectrographs with larger pupil sizes. Each of the multiplets is sealed on one end with a face-mounted o-ring that imposes a known axial load, and on the other end with a rim-mounted o-ring that imposes a radial load, and finally held captive axially with a retaining ring that incorporates a third o-ring. This last o-ring does not participate in the sealing of fluid, but avoids a metal glass interface that would be undesirable for the CaF2 lenses. The salt lenses are held by the other optics and are never in contact with a seal.

Filters:
There are two independent filter wheels: One holds 4 x 4 inch square filters, and can be fit with 4 filters. The second wheel holds 4 inch diameter filters, and normally holds the 5 order-sorting filters.

The imaging filters include SDSS u, g, r, i and z, and Bessell U, B, V, R I sets. Only 4 filters of the 4x4 inch imaging filters can be installed at a time.

The spectroscopic order sorting filters includes GG-385, GG-455, GG-495, and OG-570 filters. These are always mounted (However, we expect observers to request them specifically in their Instrument Setup forms.)

The full list of available filters can be accessed in the SOAR filter list page.[20]
The filters are in the collimated beam (tilted to avoid ghosts). Installing different filters is straight forward, but is a day-time operation. Special arrangements for fillter installations should be consulted with the Instrument Scientist well in advance of the observing run.

Imaging Mode
In imaging mode the plate scale is 0.15 arcsec/pixel and the field of view is 7.2 arcmin in diameter (3096 x 3096 unbinned pixels). Filters available include Bessell UBVRI, SDSS ugriz, and VR. See the SOAR filter list [20]for other filters

Spectroscopic Mode
In Spectroscopic mode the Goodman Spectrograph can obtain both single, longslit spectra and spectra of multiple objects simultaneously over a field of 3.0 x 5.0 arcminutes using multi-slit masks. A carousel style mask changer, holding up to 36 masks allows the slit plates to be interchanged and located at the instrument entrance aperture.

Single Slit masks:

The instrument is currently available with the following compliment of fixed long slits: 0.46, 0.84, 1.03, 1.35, 1.68, 3.0, and 10.0 arcsec wide. Each is 3.9 arcminutes long, but can be fitted with optional decker plates to mask the upper and lower portions.Note: the Goodman Acquisition Camera (GACAM)[30] has a FOV=1.8 arcmin in its longest dimension, therefore, it does not span the full length of a Goodman long slit. If your science requires a full view of the long slit you will need to use the pre-imaging procedure for object acquisition (see the Step-by-step guide to Observing with Goodman[11]).

Multi-Slit Object (MOS) masks:
Each Goodman MOS mask spans a field of view of 3x5 arcmin on the sky.
Within this field the user can arrange multiple slits of various width and lengths. The process of creating mask files for approved programs is the responsibility of each program PI. A Slit Designer software[32] that runs on Windows 7 (a port for Mac OSX in in the works) has been developed by the Goodman Lab group at UNC. Masks are required to be sent to the following e-mail address: goodman_mos@ctio.noao.edu[33] at least 1 month before the observations are scheduled. In your mask submission you need to attach the following files: FITS image of each field -with WCS-, and the .g, .msk, .txt files generated by the Slit Designer software. Currently, the PI also can access remotely a SOAR Windows 7 machine with a working Slit Designer software[32]. For details, contact SOAR Goodman Support Scientists.

Gratings and Preset Observing Modes:

Up to three (3) gratings can be installed in the spectrograph at a time, in a linear stage which allows the rapid interchange of gratings. Installing different gratings is a day time operation. No grating changes are done during the night.

Goodman has now different Blue and Red-optimized options for the 1200 l/mm grating. Please check the updated list of currently available gratings in the Goodman Spectrograph Gratings page.[21]

The table below shows the dispersion and the wavelength coverage for observations in our set spectroscopic modes. Please note that the 1800, 2100, and 2400 l/mm gratings are operated in Custom mode where the observer selects the central wavelength for their observations. Because of limits in the camera rotation stage, it is not possible to use the 2100 and 2400 l/mm gratings beyond certain wavelength limits.

The VPH gratings operate via Bragg scattering and their efficient operation requires Littrow or near-Littrow operation of the spectrograph. A grating rotation stage sets the incident angle to the desired value, which depends upon the line density of the grating and the central wavelength of interest. A concentric camera rotation stage must then be set to nearly twice this angle to intercept the diffracted beam. A set of fixed observing modes for each grating are given below, where applicable. All gratings can be used in the Custom mode.

Calibration Lamps:
We have a quartz lamp for spectral flats and HgAr, Ne, Ar, and CuHeAr lamps for wavelength calibration. Plots of these spectra with the lines identified in each of our standard spectroscopic modes can be found in the Goodman Comparison lamp web page.[34]
With the 400, 600 and 930 line gratings we recommend also taking Dome Flats during your afternoon calibrations.

[18]Most programs requiring wavelengths redward of ~4500 A will benefit from the enhanced red throughput and minimum fringing provided by the red camera.

Use of blocking filters:
Those taking spectra to the red of ~600nm should be aware that, depending on the spectrum of their target, there may be significant contamination from second order blue light superposed on the first order red spectrum (a blue leak). The blue leak will change the apparent shape of the red continuum, "fill in absorption features in the red, and may "imprint" emission or absorption features occurring in the blue spectrum at roughly twice their wavelength. This second order contamination can be eliminated by use of an appropriate blocking filter. However, this does entail a loss of efficiency in the red since the "in-band" transmission of the available blocking filters is not 100%.

Those needing spectrophotometric calibration should note that essentially all spectrophotometric standards are quite blue, so there will be a significant blue leak if they are measured without a blocking filter, which will invalidate the calibration of science target spectra, even if the targets themselves have no blue flux. A possible approach would be to measure the science targets without a blocking filter, the standards with one, and then correct the standards for the blocking filter transmission. However, we currently do not have measurements of the blocking filter transmission which we consider sufficiently reliable for these purposes. In the meantime observers who plan to do this should measure there own by observing a red star with and without blocking filter.

In principle contamination by the blue leak will also effect arc lamp calibrations (superposing blue lines on the red spectrum at roughly twice their wavelength) and flat fields. However, with the exception of the HgAr lamp the blue lines in all the calibration sources are very weak compared to the red lines, and similarly the flat field sources are much brighter in the red than the blue.

Scattered (and Stray) Light:
Measured to be small in imaging mode by comparing imaging FOV and surroundings with a bright star illuminating the pupil. Some scattered and stray light is seen in the Goodman spectroscopic mode. We currently see 0.06e/s of stray and/or scattered light in the spectroscopic mode with 1x1 pixel binning and the 100kHz ATTN2 readout. Efforts are underway to replace the tent that covers Goodman with a light-tight box. We are also looking for low-level emitting LEDs on all of the Goodman motors and covering them with metallic tape as we find them.

Calibration Issues:
Obtaining good quartz spectra over the entire wavelength range with the 400 l/mm grating is difficult because of the different spectral response at the red and blue ends. The most noticeable effect is that to obtain sufficient counts in the blue end, the red end becomes saturated. A blocking filter is on order so that composite quartz flats can be made. This effect is not as great with the other gratings because the wavelength range isn't as large.
There also exists contamination of the flats by scattering from the back of the second filter wheel. Use of the blocking filter mentioned above mitigates this contamination. Finally, with the BLUE CAMERA fringing appears in the spectra to the red of the Hα line. With the availability of the RED CAMERA, fringing at red wavelengths is greatly reduced, as can be seen in this plot below.

Flexure:
The instrument has active flexure compensation based on the Nasmyth rotator angle. The corrections are succesful at the fraction of a pixel level for the full range of rotator angles.

Introduction to the Goodman HTS

The Goodman High Throughput Spectrograph has been upgraded to provide users with the choice of one of two separate cameras.
One is the original UV-optimized Blue Camera, with a 4096x4096 Fairchid CCD. The new device is the Red Camera, equipped with an e2v 4096x4096 detector optimized for work at red wavelengths with negligible fringing redward of ~650nm compared to the Blue Camera. For both detectors the pixel scale is the same (0.15 arcsec per pixel). This provides a 3096 x 3096 unbinned pixels (~7.2 arcmin diameter) FOV in imaging mode and a 4096 x 1896 unbinned pixels FOV in spectroscopic mode. The long slit masks in spectroscopic mode are approximately 3.9 arcmin in length and cover ~1560 unbinned pixels, leaving enough pixels above and below the slit to obtain an estimate of the stray and scattered light.

In both cameras, the CCD is read by the Spectral Instruments[24] controller. In the Blue Camera through 1 amplifier. Blue Camera: Depending on binning and the gain setting, the CCD can be read in as little as 20 seconds (1x1 fast readout) to as long as 80 seconds (1x1 slow readout) in spectroscopic mode. Please see the table given in the Goodman Overview[7] page for a more detailed description.

The data are taken via a vncviewer on the Goodman data acquisition computer (soaric6 for the Red Camera and soaric2 for the Blue Camera) and examined via a vncviewer on the Goodman data analysis computer (soaric7). From soaric7, one can transfer the data to their home institution using "scp".

Unbinned Goodman spectra plus overscan and header information are approximately 16 Mbytes each. A typical night produces about 2-4 Gbytes of data and easily transferred over the internet. This is the preferred method of the SOAR partners. If this is unfeasible, please contact Sean Points prior to your run so that other options can be discussed.

The Goodman imaging (first) filter wheel contains space for 4 square 4x4 inch filters, plus one blank position. The second filter wheel holds 4 inch diameter circular filters, and has 6 positions, 5 regularly equipped with the order sortting spectroscopic filters, and one open position. Filters may be up to 10mm thick.
For the list of available filters look at the SOAR Filters page.[20] Special arrangements for installing filters should be consulted well in advance of an obsreving run with the Instrument Scientist.

This manual is intended for an observer planning to use the Goodman spectrograph. It is not intended to serve as a hardware or software reference document describing the inner workings of Goodman, although some details at that level may appear to help the observer plan observing strategies. Also, we assume that the observer is already familiar with CCD cameras, spectroscopic observations, and data reductions.

The Goodman Overview[7] is at the front of this manual. If you've read this far, and don't plan to read any further, be sure you understand the Goodman Overview[7] pages.

Development of the Goodman High Throughput Spectrograph is a continuing process. Throughout the lifetime of the instrument, filters will be added, old ones replaced, and software enhanced. This manual represents the status as of the date on the cover page. We expect to revise the manual occasionally to include information gained during engineering runs, as well as to reflect new filters.

Both the Blue[17] and Red[18] cameras are installed on an articulated stage, which is moved by a wormdriven annular stage directly encoded with a resolution of 0.6 μ-radians. To minimize flexure the camera platform rides on a concentric 400mm curved bearing rail. The platform that holds the camera optics and dewar is attached at two points to the central stage and at two points to the bearings on the curved rail. The coupling between the bearing assembly and the camera platform is through tuned flexures that both relieve the overconstraint between the central bearing and the rail, and act as a restoring spring for two piezo-electric actuators that can move the whole platform up and down to compensate for instrument flexures. These flexures are pre-loaded with 100kg of tension, which is more than twice the total weight of the camera assemblies, to insure that the bearings on the curved rail remain on the same contact surface (the underside of the rail) during rotation of the instrument. Flexure compensation on the orthogonal axis uses the articulation motion at very low speed.

The camera optics tube rides on lead-screwdriven crossed roller bearing stages. The camera stage is a custom low profile design that had to be incorporated into the articulation assembly. The camera focus stage incorporates external temperature sensors, constructed from temperature-to-voltage converters that feed built-in analog-to-digital converters in the Silvermax motors driving the stage. The optics mounts do not include passive thermal compensation, so measurements are required to correct for focus changes with temperature.

The clear aperture at the front of the camera is 4” and it is 2.8” at the last optic, which doubles as a dewar window. The shutter adds only ¼” to the width of the camera optics (except for a strategically positioned motor), and adds only 1” in length to the front of the camera. It consists of a friction driven curved stainless plate 0.010” thick that rides in a curved teflon track to cover the 4” entrance to the camera optics. The stepper motor can open or close the shutter in under 200 msec.

We have available VPH gratings of 400, 600, 930, 1200, 1800, 2100 and 2400 l/mm, that have been produced in a holographic exposure facility at UNC that is currently capable of making 4” size VPH gratings. These gratings are of quality equal to or exceeding those produced by most vendors.

The grating changer can position any of three gratings at the 75 mm pupil, or lower them out of the way for imaging mode. This translation is subordinate to the grating rotation, so that the grating can be inserted and removed quickly from the pupil without resetting the angle. The rotation is driven by a Newport rotary stage at the bottom and a matching bearing at the top. This stage was retrofitted with a Silvermax motor. The stage is directly encoded with a resolution of 0.9 μ-radians, and the Silvermax motor uses feedback from this encoder for fine position control. Gratings are mounted in frames that are held by ball detents in the translation mechanism.

The Goodman spectrograph uses two filters wheels.
The first filter wheel is used mostly for imaging. It can hold up to 4 holds 4x4 inch square filters. The SOAR filter page[20] shows the list of available filters.
The second filter wheel has 6 positions for 4-inch diameter circular filters. It normally holds the 5 spectroscopic order sorting filters, and an open position.
Filters are placed in the collimated beam where they cause a pupil shift instead of a more irritating refocus, but this made them large, to accommodate the 75 mm pupil, and difficult to place. The wheels are suspended from a plate mounted to a cantilevered extension to the truss. The wheels are tilted enough to place any reflection ghosts the filters generate outside of the imaging field. Filters are mounted in rings that are held in the wheels using spring loaded ball detents. This allows exchange of filters without tools or fasteners that get lost or dropped in the instrument. Likewise, the wheels are held on their bearings by a hub that can be removed by hand. The wheels have teeth around their perimeter and are driven by smaller gears engaged by a spring loaded mechanism.

Goodman slit masks are 3x5 arcmin on the sky. Single longslits are available in widths ranging from 0.46 to 10 arcsec. They are all roughly 3.9 arcmin long. See the Goodman longslit page for more details.[67] Slit masks are installed on a 36 position carrousel.

Multiobject slit masks are also 3x5 arcmin on the sky. At present the mask carrousel can hold 17 MOS masks at one time, the remaining 19 positions are used by longslits, image slicers, and a few non-operative slots. Changing MOS masks is a daytime operation.

The Goodman Software

The Goodman Spectrograph Control System (GSCS) is a system of Labview programs running on a Windows machine, with which observers control the spectrograph and take data using its CCD camera. To access this software, users must use a graphical desktop sharing system to connect to the spectrograph’s control computer. We recommend using a VNC connection (see the SOAR Remote Observer's Guide[68]), but other types of software may be used, such as Windows Remote Desktop. The following set of instructions for linking to the Goodman computer assumes that the user has established a secure VPN connection and will use a VNC or Remote Desktop session (click here to for a PDF document providing additional information on how to connect and run the Goodman GUI).[69] This dcument shows the example for the Blue Camera. For the Red Camera only the name of the computer changes (see below).

The data visualization computer running IRAF is soaric7. A number of different ways to logon to these machine exist, depending upon your preference. These methods are discussed below.

From Cerro Pachón:

The mountain staff or your support scientist will show you the computer on which you can obtain and analyze your data. To open the Goodman user control panels:

Double click on the "Scroll Lock" Key

A window will open displaying the names of the computers to which you can connect

Use the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys to highlight a free machine.

If the Data Acquisition and Analysis windows are running, you can skip to the GUI Layout section of this manual. If these GUIs are not running, skip to the Starting and Stopping the Data Acquisition GUI and Starting and Stopping the Data Analysis GUI sections of this Manual.

From the Remote Observing Center in La Serena:

Log on to the observing account using the username and password provided to you by the instrument scientist (Sean Points, César Briceño, Regis Cartier or Alfredo Zenteno if your time is through NOAO or Chile, or your Brazilian Support astronomer if you are observing through Brazil time). If forgotten, these are posted on a list near the door.

Start the Data Acquisition GUI by typing the following command from a terminal command line on the GNU/Linux computer in the remote observing center:

> vncviewer -Shared soaric6.ctio.noao.edu & (Red Camera[18])
Log on to the vncviewer with the password provided by the instrument scientist.

Start the Data Analysis GUI by typing the following command from a terminal command line on the GNU/Linux computer in the remote observing center:

> vncviewer -Shared soaric7.ctio.noao.edu:4 &
Log on to the vncviewer with the password provided by the instrument scientist.

If you are a Remote Observer:

Start the VPN connection on your computer, using the username and password information provided by your Support Scientist: Sean Points or César Briceño if your time is through NOAO or Chile, your Brazilian Support astronomer if you are observing through Brazil time, or your SOAR Support person at UNC or MSU.

Start the Data Acquisition GUI by typing the following command from a terminal command line on the GNU/Linux computer in the remote observing center:

Log on to the vncviewer with the password provided by the instrument scientist. Set this GUI in one of your monitors.

Start the Data Analysis GUI by typing the following command from a terminal command line on the GNU/Linux computer in the remote observing center:

> vncviewer -Shared soaric7.ctio.noao.edu:4 &
Log on to the vncviewer with the password provided by the instrument scientist. Set this GUI in another of your monitors. Remember that a minimum of 2 monitors is required to carry out remote observing at SOAR, and the recommended setup is 3 monitors (see the SOAR Remote Observer's Guide).[68]

In most cases the GUIs should be started and you will be presented with a data acquisition screen and data analysis screen as shown in Figure 4.

If the data acquisition GUI has not been started, then one should see a blue screen in the soaric2 VNC window. At the bottom of the screen, you should see that the SI Image SGL D and SI Image are minimized. You may also see that the LabVIEW Transfer_To_SOARIC7 vi and the LabVIEW Goodman Spectrograph Control System vi are minimized. If these are minimized, the you just need to click on them to start the data acquisition GUI. Click here for a PDF file with additional information on the start-up of Goodman.[70]

Click the Transfer_To_SOARIC7 LabVIEW shortcut on the Desktop and start the application by clicking on the white arrow.

Open the Goodman controls by clicking on the GSP_Main LabView shortcut on the Desktop and start the application by clicking on the white arrow.

Check the camera panel. If a green button is present for "Connection Open/Getting Data" in the upper left of the GUI, Goodman "sees" the SI Image camera control software and a TCP/IP connection is available to take data. You can confirm this by clicking on the "Obtain Camera Status" button. During a normal startup of the GSP_Main vi the CCD Temp will read "0". If the TCP/IP connection is operating, clicking on the "Obtain Camera Status" button will show the latest temperature measurement. If Goodman is cooled, the CCD Temp should be -106.5. If the CCD Temp does not update, you will need to check the SI Image SGL D window and make sure that a TCP/IP connection is open.

Click on Main tab and logon;
Use the account appropriate for your observing program (i.e., BRAZIL, CHILE, MSU, NOAO, OTHER, or UNC) with the password provided by your institution.

Click the User tab, go to "Home Systems", and select "Home All". You should see the dark green lights change to yellow on the control panel as systems are being homed. Upon a successful homing of the systems, all lights should be bright green, except the Collimator Focus which well remain a dark green. If there are any red lights, you will need to log out of GSP_Main and shutdown and cycle the power on the Goodman motor electronics.

After the camera is homed, start the flexure correction by clicking the flexure LED. It should change from dark green to bright green.

Select the imaging or spectroscopic mode in which you want to work.

Select Gain and Readout Setting. These values are given in the Goodman Overview[7] and in the Goodman Cheat Sheet[31]. Usual values are 100 KHz ATTN0 with the Blue Camera, which provides gain=1.06 and readout noise= 3.72 e-, and 344KHz ATTN3 with the Red Camera, which provides gain=1.48 and read noise=3.89.

Set up the grating and camera angles for your observations. The pre-defined modes are listed in the Goodman Overview[7].

You are now ready to use Goodman.

If the data acquisition GUI needs to be stopped:

Single click on the Main tab and log out.

Click on the Main tab and Shutdown. This will move all the systems back to their "Home" positions.

After the shutdown has finished you should ask the TelOps staff to turn off the power to the Goodman electronics box.

The Goodman data analysis VNC window (soaric7:4) has a relatively simple layout. If the IRAF data analysis windows are not open, you should see an IRAF button in the lower right corner of the VNC window. Single click on the IRAF button and an IRAF xgterm and a ds9 window will open. Load any IRAF package you may need for your observing. You will also want to make sure that you are in the correct directory to analyze your data.

All observing with the Goodman Spectrograph is handled through the Data Acquisition GUI. Upon successful startup of the Goodman data acquisition GUI on soaric2, one should check that the Goodman data acquisition window looks something like that shown in Figure 4.

The Goodman observing GUI can be divided into certain distinct regions as shown in Figure 7. These include the:

TCS Status Region - This region shows various telemetry data from the instrument, as well as information obtained from the Telescope Control System (TCS) and the SOAR Environmental Station. These data include the current RA and Dec of the telescope, the airmass, the sidereal time, the ISB rotator angle, etc.

Connection Info Region - This region shows if the LabVIEW GSP_Main vi has a TCP/IP connection to the SI Image software. If the conection is active, then you should see a green box stating that the TCP/IP conection is open and that the SI Image software is receiving commands from the GSP_Main vi. One method of checking this connection is to click on the "Obtain Camera Status" button while you are not taking an image. This should update the "CCD Temp." and "Vacuum Pressure" fields above the camera status button. Also included in this section of the GUI is the "General" tab. If an observer selects this, they will be able to edit the "Observer" and "Proposal ID" keywords for the FITS headers.

Acquisition and Exposure Status Region - This region of the GUI is complex and contains many items of which the observer should note. In this region, the observer can do the following:

Figure 8: Selecting the CCD binning and image size.

Figure 9: Selecting the Goodman readout parameters.

Figure 10: (a) Taking an internal calibration quartz spectrum. In this image the internal quartz lamp is off. (b) Taking an internal lamp quartz spectrum. The quartz lamp has been turned on at the 70% level.

Change the OBSTYPE (OBJECT, FLAT, COMP, DARK, or ZERO) of the image by clicking on the appropriate tab.

Edit the "Object Name" for the FITS headers.

Set the number of exposures for each OBSTYPE.

Set the base name of the FITS file.

Set the exposure time.

Select the CCD binning and image size. The default 1x1 imaging mode has an image size of 3096x3096 pixels. The default 1x1 spectroscopic mode has an image size of 4142x1896 pixels. Please note that no overscan region is written for imaging mode. The overscan region is only read if the serial dimension is greater than 4096 pixels.

Select the CCD readout speed, gain and readnoise parameters.

Turn on/off calibration lamps (HgAr, CuHeAr, Ne, Ar, Quartz). For example, select the "Flat" tab in the "Acquisition and Exposure Status" region of the GUI (see Figure 10). All of the calibration lamp LEDs should be dark green (Figure 10a). If you are using the internal quartz lamp, select the desired intensity value and then click the dark green box beneath the "Quartz" label. The dark green box should now be bright green (Figure 10b). You should always check with the telescope operators that the calibration lamp has been turned on.

Make a telescope offset.

View the exposure time and readout status.

All of these features will be discussed in more detail in the Observing with Goodman[71] section of this manual.

Instrument Status Region - This region of the GUI is equal in its complexity as the Acquisition and Exposure Status Region. In this section, the observer controls the physical setup of the spectrograph. In this region, the observer can do the following:

Figure 16: Selecting the camera focus. The set camera focus region is located in the bottom right-hand corner of the GUI. To change the camera focus, the observer should change the "Target" value to the desired camera focus and then press the "Set" button.

Check on the status of the motor sub-systems. This is indicated by the vertical column of round lights (LEDs) on the left of the display. If the lights are bright green, it signifies that the sus-systems are homed and/or in their proper positions as determined by the sub-displays in this region. If the lights are dark green, it indicates that the sub-system has not been homed. At present, only the status light for the Collimator Focus should be dark green (see below). If the status light is yellow, it signifies that the sub-system is moving from one state to another. For example, if you change the Slit Mask from the 0.46" slit to the 1.03" slit, the light to the left of "Mask Assembly" will change from bright green to yellow and then back to bright green during the exchange of slit masks. If a motor light should be red, it indicates that an error has occurred and that the observer needs to shutdown the Data Acquisition GUI and restarted after the power to the instrument electronics box has been cycled.

Change the "Primary Filter". The Goodman filter wheels can hold 5 +1 (empty) 4" diameter filters. We have placed UBVR filters on the Kron-Cousins system in the primary filter wheel on Goodman (see Figure 11).

Change the "Slit Mask". An observer can change the Slit Mask from that which is currently in place by clicking on the upper-most button under the "Mask" section of the GUI and select a different slit mask (see Figure 13). After a successful startup of the GUI no slit mask will be in place. The observer should then choose from among our current long-slit masks as given in the Goodman Overview[7].

Change the "Grating". An observer can choose from no grating, to any of the maximum of three gratings that can be installed at a given time, e.g., the 400l/mm, 600l/mm, or 1200l/mm by clicking on the grating selection button. For the updated list of available gratings see the Goodman Overview page[7].

Select the "Camera and Grating" angles for the observations. This feature allows the observer to select among the various predetermined spectroscopic modes of the instrument (see Figure 15). These modes are listed in the Goodman Overview[7] section of this manual. We provide examples of HgAr and CuHeAr spectra in the Comparison Lamp[34] section of the Goodman documentation.

The "Camera Focus" depends upon the observing setup that the observer chooses. The TelOps staff have a list of the most recent camera foci that have been determined during an engineering run. If in doubt, the observer should determine the best camera foci for their run during afternoon calibrations. More information on determning the camera focus is given in the User's Guide to Observing with Goodman.[9]

​(Last Update on Feb 7, 2018)

Observing with Goodman

In this section the users will find the procedures and recommendations to carry out a successful observing night with Goodman. We strongly recommend that after going through this web page, you download and study the Step-by-step User's Guide to Observing with Goodman.

Prior to your run at SOAR with the Goodman Spectrograph, you should have completed the Instrument Setup Form[28]. When using Goodman, it is important to send in this form well ahead of time so that any specific needs can be addressed before your run. In the instrument setup form you can also specify what binning you will use during your run. The default readout is for 1x1 binning with the 100kHz ATTN3 readout. Information on the gain settings and readout noise for various readout options can be found in the Goodman Overview[7].

the focus values for observing modes are current. The current best-focus values for the preset Goodman observing modes are determined by the Instrument Scientist during engineering time, as time allows. If you want to make sure that you are achieving the best focus values for your run, we recommend that your perform a focus sequence at the start of your run. Details on determining the best focus are given below in the During Your Night/Run section of this manual.

Select the 0.45 arcsec slit mask to obtain the highest spectral resolution that is possible. That is, the average FWHM of a comparison lamp emission line profile should be ~3.0 pixels (see Figure 5).

Select the filter you will use, if any (see Figure 6).

Select the grating to be used (see Figure 7).

Select the camera and grating angles (See Figure 8).

Select to take a Comparison Lamp Spectrum (see Figure 9) and turn on one of the arc lamps (HgAr is preferred for all modes). You can take a comparision lamp spectrum by selecting the "Comp" tab in the Goodman "Acquisition and Exposure Status" region of the GUI. In the left-middle section of this region, one can turn on (off) the internal ISB calibration lamps. When the lamps are turned off, they are a dark green color. When they are turned on, they are bright green in color. We also note that sometimes there are communication problems between the Goodman GUI and the SOAR TCS. It is always recommended that you ask the TelOps staff if the lamps really is on (off). You will also need to ask the TelOps staff to place the comparison lamp mirror into the beam to take a comparison lamp spectrum.

Set the Camera Focus to -2000 units (see Figure 10) and take a spectrum. Continue to increment the camera focus by +500 units until you have taken spectra with camera foci from -2000 to +2000 units.

After you have taken arc lamp spectra for camera focus values between -2000 and +2000 units, you will need to determine the best camera focus value. This is easily done with the IRAF "specfocus" task that is located in the NOAO obsutil package. The output of specfocus should look like Figure 11.

As a precautionary measure, it is also useful to check the output of specfocus using the IRAF imexam task. Display the spectrum in the data analysis window>disp nnnn.hgar_400_gg385.fits 1 zs+>imexam
Use the "j" key to measure the FWHM of the arc lines that appear in the spectrum. For spectra taken without the order blocking filters, the FWHM should be around 3 pixels. For spectra taken with the order blocking filters, the FWHM will be around 3.5 pixels.

You will want to take internal camera focus sequences for as many observing modes that you plan to use during the night - imaging and spectroscopic. The camera focus value changes between imaging and spectroscopic mode because the grating is either out of the beam or in the beam.

Figure 4: Selecting the CCD readout speed. Please see the Overview section of this manual for the gains (e/ADU), read noise (e), and readout times for 1x1 spectroscopic binning.

Figure 5: Selecting the slit mask to be used.

Figure 6: Selecting the order-sorting filter (secondary filter), if any, to be used.

Figure 7: Selecting the grating.

Figure 8: Selecting the camera and wavelength angles.

Figure 9: Taking an arc lamp spectrum.

Figure 10: Changing the camera focus.

Figure 11: Determining the best camera focus value with the specfocus task within IRAF.

Taking Bias Frames

Select the "Zero" tab in the Acquisition and Exposure Status region of the GUI. Make sure that the CCD binning and readout parameters are set to the values that you will use for your science observations. Select how many bias frames you want to take. You will want to take bias frames for as many different observing modes you plan on using during the night. That is to say, if you plan on observing during the night in 1x1 spectroscopic mode with the 300 l/mm grating 100kHz ATTN3 readout and the the 600 l/mm grating (mid) 200kHz ATTN2 readout, you should take bias frames for both the 1x1 spectroscopic 100kHz ATTN3 and 200kHz ATTN2 readouts.

Taking Comparison Lamp Spectra

Select the "Comp" tab in the Acquisition and Exposure Status region of the GUI. Select the CCD binning and readout parameters to the values that you will use for the night. We advise that observers take a set of comparison lamp spectra using the 0.45" slit mask as well as the slit mask they will be using during the night. This may help the observer in deblending any lines when using the wider slit masks. We also note that it can be difficult to obtain a sufficient number of lines to determine an accurate wavelength solution in the blue preset modes using the HgAr lamp. Therefore, we also recommend taking some spectra of the CuHeAr lamp.

Taking Quartz Flats

Select the "Flat" tab in the Acquisition and Exposure Status region of the GUI. Select the CCD binning and readout parameters to the values that you will use for the night. Take the quartz flats you need for all of the observing modes you will use during the night.

Nighttime Observing

1) Slew to target
2) Move to "image mask" mode
3) Withdraw slit
4) Take image of field and note x,y coordinates of object in current position field (in "Current Pixel Values")
5) Move slit back into place
6) Take image of slit and note x,y coordinates of slit center in desired position field (in "Desired Pixel Values")
7) Make offset ("Calulate Required Offset" -> "Apply SOAR Offset")
8) Take image of object on slit. Is it centered? If not, perform another offset with slit in place.
9) Repeat 8 as needed
10) Change readout speed and move grating and camera into spectroscopic mode
11) Take spectrum
12) For faster target acquisition for relatively bright targets (V≤18), the GACAM[30] may be used.

At the end of your observing night, please fill out the End-of-Night[82] report for the telescope. Please make note of any problems that were encountered during the night so that they may be resolved before the next night's observing.

Also, at the end of your night observing with Goodman, you may want to transfer your data back to your home institution. To do so, open a local Terminal in your home institution, and scp the data from soaric7.

After your run is complete, please fill out the End-of-Run[83] report.

Goodman User Startup/Shutdown Guide

Goodman High Throughput Spectrograph

Startup/Shutdown Guide

Updated: Jul 11, 2017; C. Briceño

This is a step-by-step guide for the Goodman HTS users on the regular procedure for starting up the spectrograph GUI and related programs each evening. It assumes that the CCD camera SI Image SGL software is running, and hence that the camera cryostat is at the appropriate vacuum (Pressure=0, T=-106.7 C for the Blue Camera and Pressure=0, T=-100 C for the Red Camera).

Starting up the Goodman GUI programs

Starting the LabView Applications1) Make sure that the transfer to soaric7 is working.

2) Open the "My Computer" icon on the Desktop and see if "ic7home3" on "SOAR Data Samba Server" is present.

3) If it is not open, click on the "My Network Places" icon on the Desktop and then click on the "ic7home3 on SOAR Data Samba Server" icon. The Instrument Scientist has the logon and password information.

4) Click the "Remote Transfer to soaric7" LabView shortcut on the Desktop and start the application by clicking on the light grey arrow in the upper left corner of the LabView window.

5) Make sure the Symmetricon GPS Real Time clock is running, and minimize it. It should be left running. This will be the time signal that will be recorder in the Goodman FITS image headers:

6) Make sure the Tray Time Applicationis running. Tray Time is the little globe icon indicated in the screenshot below. Tray Time is used to automatically sync the computer's system time with the symmetricom gps time. Even with symmetricom running GSCS still only reads the system time so without Tray Time running we are not actually recording GPS times in the header. Once you double click Tray Time, you should see the little globe icon appear down in the taskbar on the bottom right of the screen.

7) Open the Goodman controls by clicking on the "GSP_Main" LabView shortcut on the Desktop and start the application by clicking on the light grey arrow in the upper left corner of the LabView window.

8) Check the camera panel. If a green button is present for "Connection Open/Getting Data" in the upper left of the GUI, Goodman "sees" the SI Image camera control software and a TCP/IP connection is available to take data. You can confirm this by clicking on the "Obtain Camera Status" button. During a normal startup of the GSP Main GUI the Camera Temp will read "0". If the TCP/IP connection is operating, clicking on the "Obtain Camera Status" will show the latest temperature. If Goodman is cooled, the CCD Temp should be -106.5. If the CCD Temp does not update, you will need to check the SI Image SGL D window and make sure that a TCP/IP connection is open.

9) Click on Main tab and logon;Use the account appropriate for your observing program (i.e., BRAZIL, CHILE, MSU, NOAO, OTHER, or UNC) with the password provided by your institution.

10) Click the User tab and go to "Home Systems" Select Home all (WARNING NOTE:Always make sure with the Telescope Operator that it is ok to home systems, e.g., that the telescope is at Rotator Angle=0, the instrument is at PA=0, and that the Goodman electronics have been powered on. If you see a red warning sign displayed in the Goodman VNC, STOP, do not proceed under any circumstance and contact the Telescope Operator before continuing with any task).
Once you have clicked on Home all you should see the dark green lights change to yellow on the control panel as systems are being homed. This process will take several minutes; the Slit Mask stage will take the longest. Upon a successful homing of the systems, all lights should be bright green. If there are any red lights, you will need to log out of GSP Main and shutdown and ask the Telescope Operator to cycle the power on the Goodman motor electronics.

11) After the camera is homed, start the flexure correction by clicking the flexure LED. It should change from dark green to bright green.

12) Select Gain and Readout Setting. These values are given in the table below. The default is 100kHz ATTN3, but as with the Port readout, it needs to be changed to another value before it is initialized correctly.

13) Select the imaging or spectroscopic mode in which you want to work.
Make sure that the "Save As" type is "I16 FITS".

14) Set up the grating and camera angles for your observations. The pre-defined modes are listed in the Goodman Overview page.[7]

Shutdown

At the end of the night, the observer and TelOps staff should do the following:

Observers:

Logout of the Goodman GUI. This is found under the Main tab.

Shutdown the instrument motors. This is also found under the Main tab and will store all of the mechanisms in their home position.

Create a directory on soaric4 (Goodman Data Acquisition computer) in C:\Data for the night of your observations (YYYY-MM-DD). Move all FITS files to this directory. Do not move the DO_NOT_DELETE_FROM_THIS_DIRECTORY file.

Create a directory on soaric7 (Goodman Data Anaylsis computer) in /home3/observer/GOODMAN_DATA/<PROGRAM> /YYYY-MM-DD, where <PROGRAM> is one of [BRAZIL, CHILE, MSU, NOAO, OTHER, or UNC].

Move the FITS files from /home3/observer/today to /home3/observer/GOODMAN_DATA/<PROGRAM> /YYYY-MM-DD.

After the logout and shutdown are done, the power to the Goodman Electronics box should be turned off on the remote power control panel.

IC7 Shutdown and/or Rebooted:
If soaric7 is rebooted or shutdown, the postproc (PPROC) process to move data to the NOAO Science Data Archive (SDA) needs to be restarted.

To restart PPROC, open a vncviewer to soaric7.ctio.noao.edu:8 (the VNC password is the same as for SOI).

Open a terminal window.

Execute the command

~/APPROOT/PPROC/exe/PPROC &

The PPROC command should now be restarted. One can take a test image and see if it appears in the list of "Last Processed Files".

The Goodman Acquisition Camera (GACAM)

The need for faster target acquisition for relatively bright targets (V≤18) in the Goodman High Throughput Spectrograph (HTS) led to the development at CTIO of a slit-viewing acquisition camera, hereafter GACAM (Tokovinin 2015: Goodman Acquisition Camera Instructions, July 14, 2015[87][88]). GACAM is located inside the spectrograph. Its deployable arm places a diagonal mirror between the slit and the collimator. The image is captured by a Prosilica GigE camera of 659x493 (Horizontal xVertical) pixel format, with a scale 0.165”/pixel and field of view of 1.82' x 1.36'. The software was developed by R. Cantarruti. GACAM was designed to be simple to use and unobtrusive to the spectrograph. An added advantage of the GACAM is that all settings in the Goodman GUI can now stay fixed. In particular, there is no need to switch from imaging to spectroscopic mode
(i.e., grating and camera stay at fixed position), change the Region of Interest (ROI), readout mode, nor any other option in the spectrograph GUI

NEW - August 3, 2018 - GACam is now running on its own computer, and the IP address has changed to 139.229.15.168:1. All other aspects of operation are unchanged.

Goodman Multi-Object Spectroscopy (MOS) mode

Goodman Multi-Object Spectroscopy (MOS) mode brings multiplex capability over a field of view of 3' x 5'.
Custom MOS masks are designed with a Mask Designing software, developed at UNC.
Goodman carrousel has 16 available positions for MOS masks. Installing MOS masks is a daytime task, like changing filters, and should be requested beforehand in the Instrument Setup Form[28], or by email to the Support Astronomer with copy (cc) to soarops@ctio.noao.edu[29], so our Observer Support staff also receives the request.

Goodman Comparison Lamps (updated)

The SOAR Instrument Support Boxes (ISBs) contain facility calibration units containing both continuum sources for flat fielding and line sources for wavelength calibration.
The wavelength calibration lamps normally used with the Goodman spectrograph are: HgAr, CuHeAr, Ne, and Ar. An Fe lamp is also available.
The comparison lamps can be activated from the instrument GUI by you, or you can ask the Telescope Operator (TO) to do it for you from his technical GUI.
Note that you need to make a slow, substantial mouse click on the particular lamp in order for it to actually get the input and turn on or off (a quick click may make the green light go on or off but not turn on/off the lamp). If in doubt, check with the TO. The Fe lamp is not featured in the GUI and you need to ask the TO to rutn it ON/OFF for you. When obtaining comparison lamps, make sure you are in Spectroscopic Mode and that the TO has put the pickup mirror in.

In Figure 1 at below we show the CuHeAr arc lamp spectra for all of our pre-defined spectroscopic modes. NOTE: the 300 l/mm grating has now been replaced by the 400 l/mm grating.

In Figure 2 below we show the HgAr arc lamp spectra for all of our pre-defined spectroscopic modes. NOTE: the 300 l/mm grating has now been replaced by the 400 l/mm grating.

In the following table containing plots of the comparison lamps made with various gratings and setups. This library of comparison lamp spectra will be expanded and updated to make it include most, if not all of the setups available with the instrument.

Goodman spectrograph typical focus values

The folowing values are approximate and can change up to 500 units from run to run.
We recomend that you perform a focus sequence at the start of your run or even every afternoon.

Red Camera spectroscopic focus values:

Grating

Mode

Camera
Temp (C)

Focus

400

M1

16

-600

400 (+GG455)

M2

16

-1200

600

UV

18

-400

600

Blue

18

-300

600 (+GG385)

Mid

18

-1100

600 (+GG495)

Red

18

-400

1200

M2

17

-700

Blue Camera spectroscopic focus values:

Grating

Mode

Camera
Temp (C)

Focus

400

M1

400 (+GG455)

M2

600

UV

17

1650

600

Blue

17

1650

600 (+GG385)

Mid

17

820

600 (+GG495)

Red

17

1650

Hamuy Spectrophotometric Standards

M. Hamuy led a group at CTIO to obtain observations of 10 secondary spectrophotometric standards from Taylor (1984)[122] and 19 tertiary spectrophotometric standards from Stone & Baldwin (1983)[123] and Stone (1977)[124]. These results were published in two papers:(1) Hamuy et al. (1992)[125] and (2) Hamuy et al. (1994)[126]. The former paper covers wavelengths from 3300Å to 7550Å and the latter paper covers wavelengths from 6000Å to 10500Å. The latter paper also combines both sets of observations and presents AB magnitudes for the 10 secondary standards at 16Å intervals from 3300Å to ~10400Å and for the 19 tertiary standards at 50Å intervals from 3300Å to ~10300Å. The AB magnitudes are converted to flux (erg cm-2 s-1Å-1) using the formula:

The Goodman Data-Reduction Pipeline

The Goodman Data-Reduction Pipeline is a Python-based package developed with the goal of processing raw spectra obtained with the Goodman High Throughput Spectrograph[168] at SOAR, and producing one-dimensional, wavelength-calibrated, science quality spectra, in a highly automated way, with minimal user intervention.

The pipeline is divided into two scripts:

1) redccd is used to perform standard data-processing like subtract bias, correct by flat and clean cosmic rays.

After some minimal data organization, the user needs only run a single command-line instruction.
The pipeline has been designed to be run without having to perform any installation, by using a dedicated machine available at SOAR via VNC (Virtual Network Computing) for users that have access to the SOAR private network. However, users can download the software and install it locally.

For further information, details on how to run the software and the full documentation, please click this link[169] go to the official Goodman Data Reduction Pipeline documentation.

Goodman Pages for SOAR Support Staff

These are pages containing technical documentation intended only for SOAR Support Staff.
Users are asked not to carry out any of these procedures. If in doubt, always consult with the SOAR Support Scientist.

Goodman Blue Camera Cold Start procedure - for SOAR Support Staff

2. Make sure that the Goodman Camera Electronics are on. This can be checked from the ECS VNC Viewer and Remote Power sub-panel. If the camera electronics are not on, turn them on. If this is successful, you should hear three rapid beeps over the dome microphone You should also see the Remote Power sub-panel indicator for the camera electronics switch from "off" to "on".

3. Go to Room 109 and log the balance pressure of the CryoTiger. It should be at about 190 psi if the cooling has been turned off. The balance pressure should be around 0 psi if the cooling is on. Log this number and the date on the sheet provided.

4. Power up soaric2 (139.229.15.132).

If this does not work, somebody will have to go up to the Nasmyth and manually cycle the power on soaric2 in the electronics box.

5. Log on to soaric2 using the vncviewer from some other computer. The linux example is: vncviewer 139.229.15.132 -Shared & (the password can be obtained from the TelOps staff: soaropsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu, or the Instrument Scientist: spointsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu).

Soaric2 should boot directly into the Desktop, there is only one user.

6. Starting SI Image SGL D:

Start the SI Image SGL II software by double-clicking on the appropriate icon in the Windows desktop of Soaric2. You will immediately be prompted with the pop-up “Do you want to open a camera now?”. Select “OK”. After a few seconds, the Blue Camera should appear as “Camera: 620-658”. Choose “Select Camera”. If “Camera 620-658” cannot be found, return to step 1 and verify the camera is on. If it is, and the camera cannot be found, contact the Instrument Scientist.

7.

Check that the Cooler is ON as indicated in the image below. If it is OFF, Click OK and open the Camera Status Panel. The pressure should be 0 or ~<0.001 Torr (~< 10^-3 Torr or 1 mTorr), see image below. If not, the Goodman cryostat (camera) needs pumping, which is done by the SOAR day crew, and usually requires a full day or so. WARNING: DO NOT START COOLING THE CAMERA IF THE VACUUM HAS NOT BEEN REACHED.

8.Click the “Open Settings File” button and select “Goodman_blue_new.SET” to load in the Blue Camera Set file.

9. Disable the “Auto Calc Postscan” by clicking on the button. Once disabled, the arrow within the button should be greyed out and not illuminated as shown below. Click “OK” in the top right corner of the panel to load in the changes.

10. From the SI Image front panel, open the Camera Status window to display the current CCD Temperature and Pressure. The operating Temperature and Pressure of the Blue Camera are -106.5 C and 0.000 Torr. Log the Temperature and Pressure

11. If the Chamber pressure is above 1.000 Torr, the camera head will need pumping which can only be done by the SOAR day crew. Do not proceed to step 12 until the chamber pressure is below 1.000 Torr.

12. Under the “Operate” Menu , enable the TCP/IP server so that it shows up as a yellow box with the status “Waiting”. Also under the “Operate” Menu open the “Configure” panel. Check that the “Min. Acquisition Time Out” is set to 30 seconds as shown below. Check that Image Transform 1 is set to “Flip Y”. Save the settings. Finally, change the acquisition mode in the top right corner of SI Image from “Light” to “Triggered”.

13. Minimize the SI Image SGL GUI.DO NOT CLICK ON THE RED "X" BUTTON since this will exit the GUI. SI Image SGL II is now configured and should continue to run in the background.

14. Check the SAMBA server connection between soaric2 and soaric7: Open Computer on the Desktop. Under “Network Locations” you should find the three soarci7 folders cross-mounted. If the network drives show Red X’s, click on each drive on the left panel the window to ensure connection until they are all green.

15. Start the automatic file transfer program: click on the "Transfer_To_ic7" icon in the soaric2 desktop:

16. Check whether the files from the latest observation night were transfered to soaric7. If they are still in soaric2 you should see them in the c:\DATA folder. If so, run the End-of-Night-Transfer DOS program on soaric2:

17. Start the Symmetricon GPS Real Time clock and Tray Time program. Symmetricom should be minimized and left running. The Tray Time program will run in the background and appear as a small globe in the tray in the bottom right of the desktop. These programs will ensure the GPS time signal will be recorded in the Goodman FITS image headers.

18. Double check with the Telescope Operator or day crew that:

a) The vacuum lines have been removed from Goodman (if pumping the instrument took place)b) Instrument covers have been replaced (if applicable)c) The Nazmyth rotator angle is ok and that nobody is working inside the instrument. After these checks, ask the Telescope Operator to turn on the Goodman electronics, and start the Goodman GUI:

19. Log on to soaric7 using the vncviewer that is appropriate for your program. The linux example is: vncviewer 139.229.15.137:<n> -Shared & .The display number <n> and password can be obtained from the TelOps staff (soaropsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu) or the Instrument Scientist (spointsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu).

20. Check the disk space on soaric2 by double-clicking on the "My Computer" icon. Highlight "Local Disk (C:)". Right-click and select "Properties". If the disk is almost full, please contact TelOps (soaropsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu) or the Instrument Scientist (spointsATctio.DOTnoaoDOTedu) so they can delete older data.

21. Check the disk space on soaric7 by issuing the command "df -h" from a terminal prompt. If the /home3/observer disk is close to full, contact TelOps staff (soaropsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu) or the Instrument Scientist (spointsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu).

Goodman Red Camera Cold Start procedure - for SOAR Support Staff

1. Go to Room 109 and verify that the Service Cabinet is powered on. The LCD display should read “Power On”. If the LCD display does not read “Power On”, open the cabinet door and verify that the switch is in the on position.

2. Once the power is on, log the pressure values on the Supply and Return lines. If cooling is not turned on (default state after complete power loss but not after computer loss), the pressures should be equal. If cooling is already enabled, typical operating pressures are approximately between 240-280 PSI for the Supply line and 30-50 PSI for the Return line.

3. Power up soaric6 (139.229.15.136). If this does not work, somebody will have to go up to the Nasmyth and manually cycle the power on soaric6 in the electronics box.
4. Log on to soaric6 using the vncviewer from some other computer. The linux example is : vncviewer 139.229.15.136 –Shared & (the password can be obtained from the TelOps staff: soaropsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu, or the Instrument Scientist: spointsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu).
Soaric6 should boot directly into the Desktop, there is only one user.

5. Starting SI Image SGL II: Start the SI Image SGL II software by double-clicking on the appropriate icon in the Windows desktop of soaric6. You will immediately be prompted with the pop-up “Do you want to open a camera now?”. Select “OK”. After a few seconds, the Red Camera should appear as “Camera: 1110-111”. Choose “Select Camera”. If “Camera 1110-111” cannot be found, return to step 1 and verify the camera is on. If it is, and the camera cannot be found, contact the Instrument Scientist.

6. Check that the Cooler is ON as indicated in the image below. If it is OFF, click the OFF button to turn cooling ON. DO NOT TURN ON COOLING IF THE CHAMBER PRESSURE IS ABOVE 1.000 Torr. If the camera has been allowed to warm up to ambient temperature it will take between 4-6 hours to reach operating temperature and pressure. During the initial cooling phase, significant condensation can form on the cryo-lines. Be sure the Nasmyth rotator angle is positioned at 90 degrees to avoid condensation dripping onto the camera head.

7. Click the “Open Settings File” button and select “GOODMAN_RED.SET” to load in the Red Camera Set file.

8. Disable the “Auto Calc Postscan” by clicking on the button. Once disabled, the arrow within the button should be greyed out and not illuminated as shown below. Click “OK” in the top right corner of the panel to load in the changes.

9. From the SI Image front panel, open the Camera Status window to display the current CCD Temperature and Pressure. The operating Temperature and Pressure of the Red Camera are -100.0 C and 0.000 Torr. The pressure sensor is known to bounce between 0.000 Torr and 0.050 Torr on minute timescales so refresh as needed. Log the Temperature and Pressure.

10. If the Chamber pressure is above 1.000 Torr, the camera head will need pumping which can only be done by the SOAR day crew. Do not proceed to step 9 until the chamber pressure is below 1.000 Torr.

11. Close the Camera Status panel and open the Camera Settings panel.

12. Under the “Operate” Menu , enable the TCP/IP server so that it shows up as a yellow box with the status “Waiting”. Also under the “Operate” Menu open the “Configure” panel. Check that the “Min. Acquisition Time Out” is set to 30 seconds as shown below. Save the settings.

13. Minimize the SI Image SGL GUI. DO NOT CLICK ON THE RED “X” Button since this will exit the GUI. SI Image SGL II is now configured and should continue to be run in the background.

14. Check the SAMBA server connection between soaric6 and soaric7: Open Computer on the Desktop. Under “Network Locations” you should find the three soarci7 folders cross-mounted. If the network drives show Red X’s, click on each drive on the left panel the window to ensure connection until they are all green.

15. Start the automatic file transfer program: click on the “Transfer_To_ic7” icon on the soaric6 desktop.

16. Check whether the files from the latest observation night were transferred to soaric7. If they are still in soaric6 you should see them in the C:\DATA folder. If so, run the End-of-Night-Transfer DOS program on soaric6.

17. Start the Symmetricom GPS Real Time clock and Tray Time program. Symmetricom should be minimized and left running. The Tray Time program will run in the background and appear as a small globe in the tray in the bottom right of the desktop. These programs will ensure the GPS time signal will be recorded in the Goodman FITS image headers.

18. Double check with the Telescope Operator or day crew that nobody is working inside the instrument and the Nasmyth rotator angle is ok. After these checks, ask the Telescope Operator to turn on the Goodman electronics, and start the Goodman GUI.

19. Log on to soaric7 using the vncviewer that is appropriate for your program. The linux example is: vncviewer 139.229.15.137:<n> -Shared & .The display number <n> and password can be obtained from the TelOps staff (soaropsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu) or the Instrument Scientist (spointsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu).

20. Check the disk space on soaric6 by double-clicking on the "My Computer" icon. Highlight "Local Disk (C:)". Right-click and select "Properties". If the disk is almost full, please contact TelOps (soaropsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu) or the Instrument Scientist (spointsATctio.DOTnoaoDOTedu) so they can delete older data.
21. Check the disk space on soaric7 by issuing the command "df -h" from a terminal prompt. If the /home3/observer disk is close to full, contact TelOps staff (soaropsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu) or the Instrument Scientist (spointsATctioDOTnoaoDOTedu).

Goodman Troubleshooting

Updated Feb 10, 2016. C. Briceño

This page is intended to provide guidance on various error messages and problems that may be encountered when working with Goodman. It is aimed mostly for the Goodman support staff. Please note that by its very nature, this page is constantly under construction and will be updated as new issues arise, procedures change or updates in the instrument hardware/software take place.

3) VNC to soaric7: suddenly the up/down left/right arrow keys in the keyboard stop working correctly -> e.g., up/down arrows change to anoher desktop workspace instead of scrolling up/down in the IRAF command window, or left/right change to another desktop workspace instead of allowing one to move the cursor on the ds9 window.Solution: type either one of the Alt, CRTL or Shift keys in your keyboard.

4) RED light on the Goodman Camera/Grating LEDSolution: Shutdown and exit the Goodman GUI, power cycle the Goodman electronics, and restart GUI.
Procedure: 4.1) Telescope Operator should set the optical ISB to Rotator Angle=0 and instrument to PA=0.
4.2) In the Goodman GUI click in the User menu and select Shutdown4.3) Go to File menu and click Exit to completely exit the application.
4.4) Telescope Operator should TURN OFF the Goodman Electronics
4.5) After some 15 sec Telescope Operator can TURN ON again the Goodman Electronics
4.6) Restart the Goodman GUI (see the Goodman Startup Guide[182])
4.7) Restart the "Transfer to soaric7" LabView application. Resume observing.

5) GACAM fails to update the instrument position angle (IPA) in the GACAM GUI "Offsets" sub-window.
GACAM communicates with the TCS through sockets that are opened only when the "Calculate" button is clicked, hence when communication problems like this one arise, the culprit is likely on the server side. Solution: The Telescope Operator should reboot the TCSAPP application (TCS kernel machine: 132.229.15.2)